The 5-year relative survival rates are comparisons between people with the same type and stage of cancer and the general population who do not have cancer. If the 5-year survival rate is, for example, 20%, that means that people who have a specific type of cancer are 20% as likely as healthy people to live for the next 5 years after being diagnosed.
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The American Cancer Society uses the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), to provide survival statistics for different types of cancer. SEER tracks 5-year relative survival rates for esophageal cancer in the US based on how far the cancer has spread. Unlike the regular stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, etc groupings, SEER classifies cancer according to the following stages:
Localized | No signs of the cancer spreading outside the esophagus |
Regional | Cancer has spread outside the esophagus to nearby lymph nodes and other structures |
Distant | Cancer has spread to other organs of the body and distant lymph nodes |
The following are the 5-year relative survival rates for esophageal cancer based on data from 2013-2019:
| Localized | 49% |
| Regional | 28% |
| Distant | 6% |
| All SEER stages combined | 22% |
It is important to consider the following when interpreting these numbers:
If cancer is caught early, you can expect a better survival and recovery rate. There can be a great difference between relative survival rates when the diagnosis is at the localized stage versus the regional and advanced stages.
Esophageal cancer is usually detected when the cancer has already spread and is difficult to treat. However, if you have risk factors like Barrett's esophagus, tylosis, or other in-born conditions, your doctor should conduct testing and refer you to a gastroenterologist. There is a sheer decline in survival rates when the cancer is in the regional vs the distant stage. A misdiagnosis due to medical negligence severely undercuts your chances of survival, and even if your condition may not be hopeless, the severity of the treatments could leave you with a discomforting and difficult life after surgery.
Doctors have a responsibility to provide adequate care and promptly examine all possible options thoroughly with their patients. If not, they could be guilty of medical negligence.
This is when a medical provider diagnoses a cancer patient with a disease other than cancer. This results in a patient not only losing resources for undergoing the wrong treatments but also in a delay in the necessary cancer treatment, which actively worsens the condition.
This is when a healthcare provider fails to diagnose cancer in its early stages. It can lead to the patient requiring more intense treatment options, which not only increases the cost but like with the common radiation therapy, subjects the patient to more pain and potential side effects that would have been unnecessary had the cancer been detected earlier.
This is when a patient who does not have cancer is improperly diagnosed with cancer. This can lead to a patient undergoing surgery and radiation therapy, both costly and potentially life-threatening treatments, when they didn’t even have the disease to begin with.
If you or a loved one believe your healthcare provider misdiagnosed or delayed your esophageal cancer diagnosis, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your pain, discomfort, and decreased chances of survival.
If you or a loved one have suffered from a misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis for your esophageal cancer, contact us at 833-PORTER9, or e-mail us at info@porterlawteam.com to discuss the details of our experience representing other clients and the results we were able to obtain in the past for clients who are suffering as you are. In many ways, our results speak for themselves, and we will stand ready to help you and your family in your time of greatest need.
